Falling
by starryworlds
Summary: Twins Nevaeh and Isaiah are left to face a selection with the recent death of their parents still looming in the air. Except it isn't that easy, danger is lingering around the palace walls and winning doesn't seem like an option. They're falling in deeper and deeper. SYOC
1. Chapter 1

_Queen Valencia was a tragic soul, she just never learnt. Her husband, King Consort, was a different story. Ever since his youth, his thirst for power never relented. With his oblivious wife, he took control. It was only natural that the country fought back. From then on, the Southern Rebels were reborn._

 _They were ruthless in their attacks, killing anyone who got in their way. A curfew was enforced to keep the civilians safe, but that didn't stop them. Every now and again, a stampede of Southern Rebels appeared, murdering anyone in their sight. The palace security tightened, and the King and Queen made fewer visits to provinces._

 _On the 17th June, they were killed. It was a tragic event; Queen Valencia and King Consort Victor were dead. The palace was destroyed, the staff severely injured. The Southern Rebels rejoiced, they were finally gone. In their place: Princess Nevaeh and Prince Isaiah. From there, a selection starts in hope to rebuild their nation._

"Nevaeh! You can't keep putting this off; the country doesn't feel safe. You need to do something, anything," Shailene chastised. Her brown hair was straightened, the locks ending at her shoulders. Her black dress had a half sleeve, along with a pleated design. She paired her dress with stockings and simple heals. Her brown eyes giving a pointed glare to Neveah, best friend or not, she was infuriating.

"It's only been a year, Shai," Nevaeh responded, rolling her brown eyes. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail. Her dress the complete opposite of Shai's. The red material clung to her body, the skirt flaring out around her feet. In a darker shade, flowers travelled up the dress in jewels.

"Exactly, it's been a year since it happened. A year since your people felt protected! It's your coronation tomorrow, you can't exactly pretend it didn't happen," Shai continued. If she didn't scold Nevaeh, Soraya would.

"I doubt they felt protected before then anyway," she muttered with a bitter taste. No one ever felt safe; Illéa was a walking danger zone. The Southern Rebels appeared from time to time, damaging anything and everything.

"She's right, you know. We need to do something; you're going to be queen soon. Tomorrow, to be more precise," Isaiah interfered; walking into what was once the ballroom. It didn't look as bad as when it was attacked, but it could definitely do with some improvements. "Soraya wants to see us both in her office."

"Why?" Nevaeh questioned, her facial expressions showing her annoyance. Godmother or not, Soraya was just another nuisance. One that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get rid off.

"Just come. Shai's coming, too," Isaiah said, leaving the ballroom. "This room is horrible, anyway. Soraya's office is much cleaner."

"It's not my fault people don't like to work here. Besides, a few people are getting drafted, and most of them are stationed here," Nevaeh complained, following her twin. Shai following closely behind the two of them.

No one spoke, unsure of how to respond. Everyone knew the palace didn't get much volunteers due to the Southern Rebels continuous threats. "Fine," Nevaeh muttered, "leave me in my own deafening silence."

Arriving at Soraya's office, Isaiah opened to door for Shai and Nevaeh. Inside Soraya sat at her desk with her usual pantsuit and with her blonde hair pulled up into a tight bun, but what gathered their attention was the lady sitting opposite her. Her hair ended a couple of inches below her shoulders, and her brown locks were mixed in with blonde highlights. Her eyes were trained on the twins, and she smiled at the duo.

Ignoring the beaming lady, Nevaeh turned to Soraya, "Who's that?"

"Isaiah, Nevaeh, meet Aria. She's going to be the mentor for the selected," Soraya told the twins, smiling at the two of them. "Oh, for your selection. We figured we'd throw them together, you two being twins and all."

"Selection?" She questioned, Nevaeh's voice filled with shock. No one said anything about a selection. Both Isaiah and Shai were taken back by the news, and remained quiet.

"That's what I said," Soraya told her.

"But-" Nevaeh started. The selection was a terrible idea, didn't everyone just tell her to focus on being queen?

"It's what the country needs. It gives them something to talk about, something they can look forward, too. Another prince," Soraya cut off Nevaeh, predicting where she was going to take things, "not that you aren't great Isaiah."

Isaiah stood there, not speaking. What was he supposed to say? A selection could end in countless ways. Many marriages were one-sided with the selection, him and Nevaeh could end up with someone they didn't even like.

"Do you want me to leave?" Shai asked, moving towards the exit. She was beginning to feel awkward in this situation. It clearly was meant for just the twins, Aria would be better off in another room, too. The latter sat unmoving though, eyes focused on Nevaeh and Soraya.

"No!" Nevaeh exclaimed. "We shouldn't even be having a selection. We have my coronation tomorrow. We don't need to add something else to my plate."

"Your going to be queen, get used to it. Also, you're going to announce that both you and Isaiah are going be holding a selection," Soraya spoke bluntly, leaving no room for Neveah's comments.

"It'll help, Nevaeh." Isaiah told her. He wasn't looking forward for the whole ordeal himself, but he was helping his country. It needed at the help it could get, and what would be Illéa's fate if it's own queen didn't do her bit?

"Okay, fine," Nevaeh gave up. She glanced at Aria before grabbing Shai, "Come on, let's go. They're not to give up unless I hold one of these things."

Isaiah turned to follow the two as they left, but Soraya's voice stopped him, "Where are you going? We need to help with some details."

"Me?" He inquired, to be honest, Isaiah was planning a haste exit after Shai and Neveah left. Soraya scared him a little.

"It's not like your sister is going to help," she stated before going through her papers and pulling a few out.

"Shouldn't you prepare for tomorrow?" Isaiah asked, trying to get out of it. He just wanted to sleep.

"We'll be fine," she shrugged him off. They had gone over what was supposed to happen hundreds of times. "We planned it over eight months ago."

"I guess I'll help then." It's not like Soraya was going to give him a choice.

Turning to Aria, he shook her hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Isaiah. Sorry about my sister, she wasn't expecting it."

"Aria, Your Highness," she introduced. "Don't worry about it, imagine what she's going through."

"Let's get to work then!" Soraya exclaimed. "First off, we'll be accepting a boy and a girl from each province. All of them aged between sixteen and twenty-one. I know you guys are nineteen, so I don't think the ages would be much of a problem.

It's going to be a long night.

* * *

Nevaeh stood in front of a mirror. Multiple maids doing adjustments to her dress. The blue gown poofed out around her, a small train at the back. There were pink flowers decorating both the bodice and the skirt, however, instead of the light blue material at the back, there were a few rows of pearls connecting the two sides together.

"All done!" One maid shouted as she finished up the last stitch.

"Finally," Nevaeh muttered, exiting the room. Isaiah stood waiting outside for her, dressed in one of his shirts and black trousers, his blazer long abandoned.

"Nervous?" He asked as the two of them started walking down the hallway. Everything looked the same, but Nevaeh couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Where were you after Soraya announced we were going to have this stupid selection?" Nevaeh interrogated. She could have done with some sibling support last night.

Isaiah glanced at her, Nevaeh looked like a nervous wreck. "Soraya asked me to help her, and I was kind of scared to say no," he admitted. "I'm sorry, did you need me?"

"No," she lied. "It's fine. I'm sorry." As they neared the steps, Nevaeh gripped the railing. "Why did they put me in these heals? I'm going to end up tripping."

"You need to stop complaining," Isaiah remarked. "Also, is the dress your wearing suitable for the coronation? It's blue and has flowers on, that's not what most people wear to something as important as this."

She shrugged, not really bothered. "Your wearing a normal suit instead of those fancy ones with hundreds of medals. We're doing all of this wrong. Besides, I don't think they'd appreciate me walking in with a sequin dress, now would they?"

Isaiah gave her a sympathetic smile, being queen wasn't going to be easy. He didn't want to selection either, but it was something they both needed to do. This day was going to change everything.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, everyone! Thanks for checking out Falling. If people like this then I'll probably continue it. This is a SYOC, a male and female one.**

 **If you choose to submit, I do have some rules:**

 **1\. Don't get me some cliché characters, because they're just boring. Make him/her someone.**

 **2\. DETAAAAAAAAAIIILLLLLL. I need detail to portray your character properly, and I don't want to get him/her wrong.**

 **3\. I am taking reservations, but get them in quick. I don't want to be waiting ages.**

 **4\. This isn't really a rule, but if you have a Pinterest, I'd appreciate it if you made a board for your character. My name is the same on both sites.**

 **5\. Please title your PM with "Falling: Character Name, Age, Caste, Province" For example, Falling: America Singer, 17, Five, Carolina.**

 **The form for male and female are going to be the same, and it's on my profile. Also, if you enjoyed the chapter then leave a review. They make my day!**


	2. Chapter 2

"So, let's go through some stuff!" Soraya exclaimed, her tone the opposite to her dark pantsuit. She had crammed Nevaeh, Isaiah, Shai and Aria - the Selected's mentor - all into her minuscule office. "Aria, do you have the papers?"

"Err, one moment," Aria mumbled, rummaging through her bag. Her hair was brought up into a ponytail, to keep her hair out of her face, and she wore a grey blouse paired along with a simple skirt.

"Shouldn't you have this done already?" Nevaeh questioned. It was no secret that over the days Aria had been at the palace, Nevaeh had grown a strong dislike for her. She lifted her head from Shai's shoulders, her hair brought into a loose braid. She was dressed in a gold, sequinned jumper as well as some black pants. A pair of black sneakers on her feet. According to Shai, when Illéa was called the United States of America, they were called _Converse_.

Isaiah sat with his chair next to the door, which would come in handy if Soraya started to go crazy on him. He had a suit on, but his blazer was left abandoned back in his room. Brown eyes focusing on his twin, he sighed, "It's not her fault, Nevaeh. It's been difficult."

"I know, she's been staying here the past few days though, so-" Nevaeh started.

"Ah, yes - I was supposed to tell you guys that we'll be moving shortly!" Soraya told them, a smile spreading across her face.

"Moving?" Isaiah questioned. "But why?"

"Well, the Selected can't stay here. Half the palace is destroyed, there simply isn't enough rooms for all of them. Seventy isn't exactly a small number of guests," Soraya told us. She didn't seem to be bothered by the information and just continued, "We'll be staying nearby - in Angeles, of course - and so will the selected. However, we are a room short, unless you want the male and female selected to share rooms!"

Isaiah and Nevaeh just stared at her, while Soraya laughed a little. "I'll share with Shai then," Nevaeh interrupted Soraya's laugh.

Shooting an appreciative look at Nevaeh, Shai spoke, "It'll be like when we were younger." She knew that Isaiah and Nevaeh wouldn't have a problem - and Aria didn't have much of say in it - but Soraya was another issue.

"You can't do that, what if-" Soraya started, only to be cut off by Shai.

"Just because I'm bisexual doesn't mean I crush on every girl I see. Honestly, Soraya."

"I'm sorry, Shailene-"

"It's Shai."

Soraya sighed, "I'm sorry, Shai. You can stay with Nevaeh for the time being. It's like you're sleepovers from when you were younger." She then turned to Aria who had gotten the papers out, "Aria, make sure that the letters are finally mailed out for the selection - we don't want a reoccurrence of what happened yesterday."

Yesterday, a printing error had caused a batch of the letters and forms for the Selected to be damaged. While Nevaeh and Isaiah were secretly pleased, Soraya wasn't, and used it as an excuse to be extra annoying - or scary, in Isaiah's case - much to the twins' growing horror. With more information of the selection flowing in steadily, Nevaeh seemed more snappy while Isaiah's nerves increased rapidly.

* * *

"We can't just do _that_ , can we?" He inquired. "Would they even be happy? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that they'll be furious."

"I don't know," she paused. The possibilities of the royals finding out what they were doing ran through her head. There was so many ways they could die, so many ways she - _they_ _all_ \- could get away with it. "Worth a shot though, isn't it?"

The masked man shrugged, "I guess. If we die though, it's all on your hand."

"Don't worry," she muttered bitterly, "I'll take all the responsibilities. Don't worry your pretty little face."

 _A pretty face that she wouldn't mind smacking._

Satisfied, the man sat back with a smile, "So, it's settled then. You go in, and-"

"Woah, hold up a second. We're partners, we do this together. You can't just throw me into a death zone. Do you realise how dangerous it is?" She interrupted.

Yes, he knew the dangers, but he was hoping that she'd do it all herself. It made things so much easier for him. But, he guessed there was no easy way out. You're in it you're out; there's no in between.

"I know, I'm just teasing. We need to be cautious, extremely cautious. Wouldn't want you to end up like a flattened-"

She cut him off, "Don't finish that, I'm warning you."

"You're 'warnings' don't really have a great affect on me, you're going to have to try harder," he grinned. Teasing her never got old.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you," she mumbled, drawing her legs in. The cold biting and nipping at her skin didn't seem to go away as she pulled her blanket on top of her.

"Go to sleep, Grey," she mumbled, forcing her eyes shut. "We have a big couple of months ahead of us."

"Night."

* * *

"How did I get dragged into helping Soraya again?" Isaiah asked, groaning. Soraya had used the same excuse countlessly, 'It's not like your sister's going to help', which meant Isaiah had been accompanying both Soraya and Aria with their duties. Both seemed to be stuck on the idea that Isaiah was the perfect person to get help from. Something the teen disagreed on.

"Isaiah, be a dear and pass me that file, will you?" Aria's voice rang out. She was currently rummaging through her bag, something she seemed to be doing a lot.

"Sure," he sighed. This whole selection thing was going to be a pain.

"I know you don't like this," Soraya told Isaiah. "But what are you going to do when someone asks for help? Let's say one of the Selected asks you to help her, what would you say or do?"

He stared at her deadpanned, "I'll play _Disney_ movies on repeat in my room and cry a little."

"Stop exaggerating," Soraya waved him off, but the paused to consider her godson's words. "I could imagine you watching the _Disney_ movies though. It just seems like something you'd do."

He shrugged, while _Disney_ was no longer making any more movies, it certainly didn't die with the amount of fans the company still had - Isaiah included.

"Oh!" Soraya jumped up, causing Aria to drop all of her papers on the floor in shock, "I forgot to tell you before, but The Report will still be happening, however, it won't be as frequent. Just at every milestone: meeting the Selected, The Elite, things like that."

Isaiah nodded along, helping Aria pick up her papers. She really needed to organise these files, and he was pretty sure he saw a doodle on one of the papers. Aria definitely wasn't the most mature person to be the Selected's mentor, but Isaiah had to admit that it would be interesting to see how things turned. It wasn't long until the Selected were going to be announced anyway.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked the chapter, and if you did leave a review! Also, if you have any ideas for characters, submit!**


	3. Chapter 3

It seemed like the rush of the Selection had settled in. The maids scurried around, making sure everything was perfect. The Selected—both male and female—were coming in soon. A dread of panic settled in Aria's stomach, she had to make sure everything was perfect.

Aria hadn't been around the place everyone was staying, only catching glimpses of photos that Soraya showed the twins. The images didn't do the mansion justice, everything was just as glamorous as the palace was, before the attack that is. The chandelier glimmered from its position above the marble staircase. They seemed to be a lot of stairs, but Aria stayed rooted to the middle of it all. She watched as a maid—whose name she couldn't recall—placed a smaller vase of pink roses next to the towering vase with orchids.

She couldn't see why anyone would want to give her job up, like the last person had done. Being surrounded by chaos wasn't all bad, it reminded her that it was all real. Besides, it was definitely an improvement from her previous job. _When you've hit rock bottom, the only was to go is up, I suppose._

With one last glimpse of her surroundings, Aria headed towards Isaiah's room. He would be the easier one, out of the twins, to talk to.

When she arrived to Isaiah's room, Aria smiled at the sight. Isaiah was going over the notes Soraya had given him for _The Report_ , and occasionally lifted his eyes to watch the next scene of his movie. The background music giving his room a comfortable atmosphere.

"Oh, hey, Aria," he greeted, a smile on his face. He set down the flash cards as Aria sat down next to him. "Would you like some snacks? I could always ask someone to go get you some, or I could go and get some."

"No, thank you Isaiah," Aria smiled, he was always so sweet. She paused for a second, "You're adorable, you know that right? Any girl would be lucky to have you."

He blushed, the red heating up his cheeks. He averted his eyes back to his notes, Soraya wanted everything to go perfectly, even going as far as to make sure that _The Report_ host, Kurtis, and everyone knew exactly what they were going to say. Though, Isaiah seemed more nervous than the others.

Aria's eyes followed Isaiah's to his flash cards. "I actually need to talk to you about _The Report_ ," she started and Isaiah looked back to her, his signal telling her he was listening. "Soraya wants this to go perfectly, so the Selected have been chosen already."

"But that's not fair!" He interrupted, all the girls in Illéa—who wanted to apply—should have an equal choice of getting chosen.

"It was a lottery, they were chosen randomly. The only difference was that it didn't happen on _The_ _Report_ ," she told him before he could jump to any conclusions. She grabbed his flash cards, muttering about how stupid they were, before pulling out some forms. Only Isaiah would actually read those notes, and Aria was certain that no one else would read them.

"Here," she pushed the forms into his hands, "these are the forms for the girls. I admittedly removed some information, so you didn't have to act like you've never seen some of them before. Yes, some you might of heard of some of them—Eira, for example—but not all."

He took the forms, a little wary if he should read them. Ignoring how he felt, he spoke, "Thank you, Aria. I appreciate it." And he did, Aria was, after all, only looking out for him.

As she left, Isaiah couldn't help but think how Aira was easily growing to be one of his favourite members of the staff. She didn't scare him, so that was a plus.

* * *

Isaiah sat nervously, _The_ _Report_ was starting soon. While he seemed to wrapped up in his bundle of nerves, his sister sat beside him bored. The staff did the last minute check ups, and Soraya stood at the side of the camera for 'moral support'. Isaiah had changed from his previous clothes, and was now supporting a navy blue suit. A smile used to cover up his emotions.

Nevaeh glanced at her twin. He never made much appearances on _The Report_ , and she was there usually. Leaning towards him, she whispered, "Don't worry about it, Isaiah. They're going to love you." As soon as she spoke, she moved back, her brown eyes focused on the cameras. To be fair, she was picture perfect at the moment. Her brown hair was curled, and her silver dress gained everyone's attention, the sparkle not going unnoticed. Not to mention, the silver crown on her head.

"How are you so sure?" Isaiah questioned, both his twin and Aria told him the girls were going to love him, but as far as he knew they weren't the _Robinsons_ , so they didn't have a chance of knowing the future, or travelling to it and letting him know what was going go happen.

"Because," Nevaeh answered, "you're Isaiah, and everyone loves you. And if they don't, well, it's their loss."

Isaiah smiled gratefully at his twin before Soraya shushed them, so _The Report_ could start. The cameraman started the countdown until they were live, and both of the twins adjusted their positions on the whire couch.

"Good evening, Illéa," Kurtis' cheery voice rang through the studio, a bright smile on his face. "Today we have both of the royal twins: Queen Nevaeh and Prince Isaiah!"

After the cheers of the audience died down, Kurtis turned to Nevaeh, "Your Majesty, what do you have to say on the recent attack in Sonage? Especially since it's so close to Angeles itself."

"The Southern Rebels are restless. However, focusing on the negative won't do anything, we need to carry on," Nevaeh answered.

Kurtis frowned, "But the attacks-"

Nevaeh cut him off, "We have to start somewhere, right?" With a nervous laugh, she added, "There's no flowers without rain."

"Right you are, Your Highness," Kurtis smiled. "We must get onto the more exciting news: The Selection!" He turned to Isaiah, "How do you feel about the Selection, Your Highness?"

All of Isaiah's knowledge flushed down the drain as he hurried to remember something. After his sister shot him a quick glance, he spoke, "It's a new thing for me, for the two of us. We have to start somewhere though, and a Selection could be helpful."

"Right you are, Your Highness!" Kurtis exclaimed, and Isaiah let out a breath of relief. "Now, do you two have a 'type'?"

"No," Nevaeh cut in sharply. "All the Selected have an equal chance, and we aren't biased."

If Kurtis was shocked he didn't seem to let it show. However, Soraya stood at the side, sighing at her goddaughter's choice of tone. This was supposed to distract people from the chaos brought upon Illéa.

"Well, let's get on with finding out who's going to be going us at this lovely place!" Kurtis turned to Isaiah again, "Your Highness, pick a province."

Isaiah's heartbeat sped up, which to choose? Which to choose? "Err, Tammins."

"Queen Nevaeh?"

"Waverly."

"Okay, so this is for the female Selected. The male ones will be next," Kurtis explained as the technitions started getting the picture ready, Soraya standing anxiously next to them.

"From Tammins, Eira Juliette Griffiths, Caste Two!" The camera focused on Isaiah's smile, ready to catch anything. Isaiah was too busy trying to calm his racing heartbeat to notice the girl on the screen. From the looks of it, her hair was a dark blonde colour with a mix of brown. Her eyes seemed to be blue, though they couldn't make sure with the image changing back soon. It was refreshing to see another eye colour than the dull brown the walls of the palace were used to.

The audience erupted in cheers, and Nevaeh recalled that she was a professional skier, which would mean that she would already have supporters in the selection by her fans. Isaiah didn't seem to notice anything, and Nevaeh squeezed his hand for a second, but as soon as it was there it was gone.

As the cheers started to quieten, Isaiah smiled. One down, and it wasn't _that_ hard. Besides, Nevaeh seemed to be fine with it. She sat with a smile on her face, though both Isaiah and Shai—who was in the audience—were almost certain that if was fake. Her posture, however, never faulted.

"From Waverly, Emerson Haleigh O'Kelly, Caste Two!"

A girl with strawberry blonde hair filled the screen, accompanied by ocean blue eyes. Isaiah remembered from a glimpse of their forms, while they were both Two's, Eira was a skier and Emerson a runner. Apart from the eyes, both girls seemed different, but the again, Isaiah was never a good judge of character.

"Isaiah?" Kurtis asked, needing the next province.

"Calgary, please," Isaiah didn't recall seeing the girl from Calgary's form, so he was looking forward to it.

"From Calgary, Aurora Everly Travers, Caste Three!"

Isaiah perked up at the name 'Aurora', _Disney_ never failed him, and a picture of a girl with fair skin appeared on the screen. Her fiery red hair a clear contrast to her skin. Her eyes were an amber colour, but Isaiah didn't get to focus on her when Nevaeh coughed and muttered under her breath, "Ariel," causing Isaiah to frown a little.

Isaiah vaguely heard Kurtis mention that the Selected from Honduragua was called June-Claire, but Isaiah started zoning out. The Selection was definitely going to be something.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, everyone. Hope you liked the chapter, and if you did, review! They make my day! Also, if you haven't submitted a character, please do (preferably, male as I need more of them).**


	4. Chapter 4

Aria sat on her oak desk, scribbling away on some files. The Selected were arriving soon, and she was sorting out the last minute details. Nevaeh had told Aria recently that she would rather speak to them for five minutes each then do something extravagant, but seeing Isaiah's face dull, Aria decided to hold some sort of welcoming party for the selection. It was going to be small, and although it was on sort notice, Aria got most of her work done quickly. A trait that Nevaeh actually appreciated.

A knock interrupted Aria's focus, and Soraya popped her head in, "They're here, Aria. Let's go." 'They' being the Selected.

With a nod, Aria rose smoothing out her trousers. Following Soraya out, Aria noticed not much of the decor changed, but then again it was luxurious enough.

"Isaiah! Nevaeh!" Soraya exclaimed spotting the twins on the other corner of the room. Nevaeh stood, leaning against the wall with a bored expression planted on her face. Her dress fanned out around in an azure colour, and darker blue coloured jewels dotted around. The arms were made with lace, and suited her perfectly. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and a dark red colour coated her lips. Next to her, Isaiah stood with a slightly nervous expression, his eyes occasionally glancing at his watch. He stood in a matching blue suit—without the jewels, of course—and nudged his twin.

"How do you think it's going to go?" He asked, his brown eyes once again glancing at the watch.

"It's going to be fine," Nevaeh answered, both Soraya and Aria nearing the two of them.

"You nervous?"

Shooting a glare to Aria, Nevaeh ignored her and left the room. The Selected stopped and stared at them as Isaiah trailed after Nevaeh. However, a few girls didn't notice and giggles surrounded them, averting everyone's attention from the twins.

Glancing around the room, Nevaeh headed towards a random male. Stepping in front of him, she scanned her brain to remember his name. "Vegas, right...?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Vegas answered. His hair was raven coloured while his eyes were a soft baby blue colour. His outfit consisted of an inky black shirt, which complimented his tanned skin along with some dark coloured trousers.

Vegas didn't speak after that, but rather his eyes flickered on both the twins, his gaze lasting longer on one rather than the other.

"Vegas," Nevaeh snapped, catching his attention while Isaiah frowned at his twin.

"Don't snap, Nevaeh. He didn't do anything wrong."

"Sorry... I just noticed how much the two of you look alike," Vegas told them, a dark blush erupting on his cheeks.

"Really? I didn't think it was common for twins to look alike," she responded, rolling her eyes.

While his sister left, Isaiah apologized to Vegas before excusing himself to speak to another Selected.

"Nevaeh! You can't just–"

Nevaeh cut Isaiah off, "Look there's Ariel." Seeing the look her twin sent her, she sighed, "I know you don't like this Isaiah, but I don't want to do this at all. You might not either, but it'll be easier for you to adjust. You can't even deny it, it's different for me. I should be running a country, but I'm here playing a child's game."

Isaiah stared at his sister, "Let's just talk to a few, just pick one whether it be male or female, I don't mind."

"You're too innocent for your own good," she responded, and grabbed his arm, and confusing him, what did innocence had to do with anything? "Let's just find anyone random, but before that let's get some cupcakes. I'm starving."

Isaiah chuckled at his sister, of course she'd want to eat first.

They did, in fact, have their cupcakes and meet a Selected called Pasiphae while they were there. Nevaeh ignored her, which wasn't a huge surprise and Isaiah tried to strike up a conversation.

"Let's go talk to Emerson," Isaiah said as he led Nevaeh towards the girl, and at her confused face he continued, "the strawberry blonde over there."

She nodded much to his surprise, and they both walked up to the Selected. "Hello, I'm Isaiah and this is my sister Nevaeh," he introduced.

"She knows who we are, Isaiah," Nevaeh rolled her eyes.

 _And she's back_ , Isaiah thought.

"Hello! I'm Emerson, its nice to meet the two of you," Emerson replied.

She truly was beautiful; her strawberry blonde hair ended at the bottom of her shoulder blades and despite it looking straight it had a slight curl at the ends of it. Her eyes were a soft ocean blue colour and the mascara she was wearing made them pop catching Isaiah's attention. He always did have a thing for ravishing eyes. She seemed to have the body of a runner, but then again that wasn't surprising considering she was a runner. Her height, however, was what threw them off, Emerson only stood around 165 cm, which wasn't seen in most runners considering they were much taller. She was wearing a one-shouldered violet dress and had peep-toe heels on.

"You too, how are you liking this place so far?" Isaiah questioned happy that she seemed to share the same positive energy as him. Seeing as they were no longer in the palace anymore, Isaiah settled on calling the mansion 'this place'.

"It's wonderful! Thank you for having me, I'm finding it amazing so far-"

Nevaeh cut Emerson off, "Isaiah, I'm going to go talk to that guy over there."

Her twin raised an eyebrow at her, "I thought you didn't like this?"

"I don't," she shrugged, "but he's cute, so I'll go talk to him."

Nodding at his twin, Isaiah resumed his conversation with Emerson as Nevaeh wondered over to the guy she deemed 'cute'. His hair was dark and in a low buzz cut, and even though she couldn't see his eyes from each of their positions, she could practically see the muscles under his white dress shirt.

"Hello, Your Majesty," he bowed as she arrived, grabbing her right hand and planting a small kiss. Nevaeh's cold eyes softened a bit at his actions. _Hot and sweet_ , she thought.

She racked her brain trying to remember his name, and the Selected seemed to tell because he smiled, "I'm Aphrodisios-Kallikrates Azarola, and yes, the name is a pain. The only ones who really understand are my brothers."

"You have a really long name," she said, "and here I thought I had the horrible name. Who would seriously name their child 'Nevaeh' just because it was the opposite spelling of 'heaven'? I blame my mother, honestly."

She paused wondering if she should apologise for complaining about her name when he was stuck with one she should pronounce, but she decided against it, she _was_ the queen after all. Instead she opted for a different conversation route, "I feel like I've heard of you before, would I have?"

"I'm a police officer, so possibly."

"So you're hot, sweet and help out your country. Can you get any better?" she joked, which is something she didn't see herself doing considering she hated the selection. Ignoring the thought, she continued, "Is there anything else I could call you? I'm never going to be able to pronounce your name."

While he didn't seemed to agree with her compliment, he answered, "Kal or Ro is fine, in fact I would prefer everyone to call me that."

"Kal it is."

* * *

 **A/N: I haven't updated in ages, I'm soooooo sorry! Exams have been killing me and my procrastinating self wasn't motivated at all. Also, this chapter is also short and I apologise, I just wanted to get something out because I haven't updated in like a month (I truly am so sorry!) I hope you liked the chapter regardless, and if you have a character I would appreciate it if you review! ;)**

 **Alsoooo, if you're character hasn't been mentioned yet, I apologise! They're coming up soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

"I don't know how to do it, I really don't have a clue."

Shai sighed as she watched Isaiah pace around his room. The Selected had arrived yesterday and he had been repeating the same sentence for what felt like an eternity. His feet rapidly moving on his floor, as he contemplated how to ask one of the Selected on a date.

His blazer was long abandoned, and he wore a black dress shirt and matching coloured trousers. His wrist was adorned with a gold watch. Shai seemed to match his black colour scheme as she lay across his white couch with a dark dress that trailed down her body. There were flowers stitched in the side of the dress, and a slit was made showing her leg. Her shoes were lace up heels, which was something that was becoming a favourite for both Shai and Nevaeh.

"Shai?" Isaiah mumbled finally moving to sit on his bed. He moved his blazer behind him as he moved up the bed, throwing the covers over his head. "You think if I stay here people will notice I'm gone?"

She chuckled, "Yes, Isaiah, they will. Don't worry, this isn't going to be easy, we know—your sister's practically going crazy—but it'll just get better. Just, I don't know, give her a rose or something. Some girls love roses, something to do with romance and shit."

Isaiah contemplated this, slowly removing the covers from his head. "Okay, I'll try."

"That's the spirit!" she cheered, moving up into a sitting position before getting up. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go find your sister, and promptly drag her out of that room of hers."

"Good luck!" Isaiah shouted as Shai left.

I'll just ask the first girl I see, he thought. With that in mind he picked up his blazer and threw it on before leaving his room.

* * *

Nevaeh sat on her bed surrounded by documents as she stared at the one in her hands. She was no longer wearing the fancy dress that she wore to dinner, but rather a plain, black shirt along with some shorts. She picked up the note from Soraya again, re-reading it.

 _The King of Canada and his daughter, Princess Emberly, will be arriving tomorrow. The death of the late Queen of Canada came as a shock to the country, and King William has decided he deems it fit to visit Illéa. Princess Emberly has also invited her fiancé, Wesley, as a guest._

 _They will arrive at approximately 8:30 AM tomorrow and you will be expected—along with a Selected—to go and greet them when they arrive at the airport. Some people with see why you have to go, but it will be polite and this will be the first time they see you as Queen of Illéa, you need to make a good impression._

 _The princess is about the same age as you, so I expect you to make an effort to talk to her. Your brother will be showing them around, as he volunteered to do so. However, this is will be after he's been on a date, which will be taking place tomorrow. During his date, I expect you to accompany them. After that, I need you to rush—and I mean rush—to the meeting that will be talking place only minutes after. The ambassadors of France will be arriving, and halfway through the Canadian Royal Family will be making a brief appearance._

 _But, before all this, you need to make some cuts. Hold the applause, sweetheart. You will only cut five. No more, and no less._

 _Love you,_

 _Soraya_

As if on cue, Shai entered when Nevaeh put down her letter from Soraya. "Hey, Nevaeh."

"Hi," she mumbled, picking up another paper. "We also need to sort out the trade agreements with Europe."

"You need to take a break," Shai commented sitting down next to Nevaeh.

"I can't exactly do that when Soraya's giving me a hundred demands!" she snapped, and shoved Soraya's letter into her hand.

Scanning through the paper, Shai grinned, "You get to do eliminations, Nevaeh. I'll help you with that."

Nevaeh smiled a sarcastic smile, "Thanks a lot, Shailene. You're a great help."

"Hmm, I know," she mumbled going over to their desk and pulling out some papers. "These are the Selected's forms, I say we go through them." She flicked through a few of them, "I reckon you get rid of this Evan dude, he sounds like a prick."

"You haven't met him, Shai," Nevaeh reprimanded.

"You sound like my mom," Shai groaned as images of her family flashed through her mind. Her mother was most definitely the worst of all her family.

"She's pretty though," Nevaeh teased. It was true, looks can be deceiving. Shai's mother was the ultimate example.

"She kicked me out," Shai pouted, moving to sit next to Nevaeh.

"Hmm, wonder why?"

"Do you want to me to help or not?" she questioned, picking up some of Nevaeh's work and flicking through it.

"I would rather ask The Weather Twins," Nevaeh commented dryly.

"Who?"

"Isaiah's butlers."

"He has butlers?" she asked shocked. Though it was reasonable since Isaiah always offered his help to anyone, and never really asked the staff for much. He didn't seem like someone who would have butlers, but Shai guessed she wouldn't turn down any butlers either.

"Yep. Now I have to get back to work, so bye."

"I'm not kidding Nevaeh, you need to relax."

"I'll relax later," she waved her off.

"If you don't want to do the eliminating then go on a date with someone," Shai suggested. "What about that guy with the long name?"

"Kal?"

"Yeah, him."

"I don't know, Shai." Nevaeh wasn't looking forward to dating anyone at the moment, the list she had to do kept repeating itself in her head, and the young queen felt anxiety creep into her. "I have work to do."

"Come on! Eliminate some, date some! You're only young, have some fun," when she received no response from Nevaeh, Shai asked, "what's wrong with The Weather Twins?"

"Nothing is wrong, it's just I don't want anyone's help. Now go!" Despite needing it, Nevaeh didn't dare ask anyone for help. She wanted to prove everyone that said she couldn't do it that she could. Asking for help caused barriers, it wouldn't be her doing to, but rather the team that surrounded it.

Nevaeh sighed, getting up. "I'm going to go clear my head." Nevaeh went over to her draw and pulled a simple, black dress over her head. She put on some black heels and waved bye to Shai. "Later, Shai."

Grabbing the letter from her godmother, Nevaeh left her and Shai's room. The selection was so confusing.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Also, if you haven't submitted and would like to do so, you can still submit. I don't have a set amount of people I'm accepting, so whether you would like to submit a female or male you can still do it. I'm going to close the SYOC in about a week or so.**

 **If you liked anything about the chapter please let me know! Also, if there's any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out so I can fix the chapter. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

Nevaeh wasn't the worst queen that Illéa had been gifted with, but she most certainly wasn't the best. From a young age, she had learnt all the names of all the historical men and women of not only Illéa but the rest of the world. Being a princess was demanding, but with the pressure of being a queen she was ready to crack. She grumbled as she left her shared room with Shai as her mind repeated everything she had to do. She hated the list that Soraya had made for her, even as the Queen of Illéa she didn't get the overall day on anything. Nevaeh would do anything to turn back time and just fix everything. Her mind used to be plagued with the thoughts of tiaras and princes, but that wasn't what a queen did. There was so much more to it and The Selection was a complete waste of time, the elimination was the only thing that Nevaeh would be able to do with ease.

While Nevaeh couldn't necessarily remember the Canadian Princess she was cursing her and her fiancé, Wesley, for deciding now would be the perfect time to make an appearance. Though, she couldn't find it in herself to blame Princess Emberly, but her heart fell to her stomach as she remembered her own mothers death and how Emberly was only visiting because the same had happened to her.

Swallowing, the young queen walked down the hallway, her eyes trying to focus on something. They glassed over, and she willed herself to stare at the painting. The vibrant colours stared down on her. 'Late Queen Valencia' it read, and Nevaeh turned around and continued walking.

In the midst of her inner battle, a ray of clarity shone through. Her thoughts were yanked from her head as she walked into something, sending her sprawling onto the floor. Letting a groan slip her lips as she collided with the marble, she cursed under her breath. Looking up, she scowled at the figure in front of her.

Keir Ruben Grubbs, she recognised. Keir had dark coloured skin along with a sort of square face. His hair was short and his lips were thick. He was dressed in a pastel shirt along with some jeans.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," he called.

"You live in Bronx," she stated, ignoring his apology. It was out of the blue and Keir's face shifted to shock at the sudden shift in tone, but then smiled at her.

"I see that the Bronx reputation lives in the castle, too."

At the word 'castle' she frowned. Castles made this all sound like a fantasy land, a land where everything would be okay with a flick of a wand. One where disasters didn't occur as often, one where murder didn't happen. Besides this wasn't even a castle.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he apologised again seeing the frown on her face. "I could always take you to get a coffee to make up for it, do you want to go?"

"If we're going to go on a date, I at least want to know something about you."

"Well, I wasn't going to call it a date, but if you insist," he joked, but then sobered up when beginning to talk about his job, though it didn't seem like work to him, it was fun. "I'm a break dancer and part of a group called OUTKAST, I could tell you about it on our 'date'."

"You're not going to let that go, will you?" she huffed, her annoyance shining through obnoxiously.

"I'm not complaining," he lifted his arms in defence. Nevaeh rolled her eyes as he jokingly flexed his muscles in attempt to get a reaction from her.

"Let's go to the kitchens, we could get the cook to make us something."

* * *

"I don't know how to do it," Isaiah complained. For once, his optimism wasn't showing as he stood with a crestfallen image on his face. His brows knitted together in frustration at not being able to do a simple task.

The Weather Twins, Isaiah's butlers, stood in their identical uniforms, though the duo held a twinge of mischief as their fifteen year old selves shone through. The Twins were the youngest workers at the palace, and were also the most troublesome. As young orphans, they had no where to go and when Isaiah heard about their situation he had to do something.

"Sure you can! Just impress her with your oh so incredible flirting," Sea, one of the twins, encouraged.

"I don't think that-"

"Come on, 'Saiah! Ask her out!" Ocean joined in, both of the twins taking this as an opportunity to prank Isaiah. Two fifteen year olds weren't exactly compliant, and Soraya had made her hatred of the twins evident.

"Yeah, and don't forget to compliment her mermaid hair."

"Oh, and ask whether she feels she should ever dye her hair, wrong Disney princess and all."

"Make sure you tell her you loved her in Sleeping Beauty!"

The Weather Twins threw 'tips' at Isaiah, ones the gullible prince would surely listen to.

"Now, go! Ask her out!" one of the twins shouted. Isaiah, to overwhelmed by their 'help', couldn't distinguish who, as he numbly nodded and left.

Aurora, they were hinting at asking Aurora on a date. Who else would they refer to as Sleeping Beauty? He thought

* * *

Keir took a sip of his coffee, as Nevaeh pulled at face at his order. He had a black coffee with no cream or sugar while she ordered a simple hot chocolate.

"So, can you tell me more about your dancing?" she asked, trying to get the conversation flowing.

He smiled fondly, "I started a group called OUTKAST, my sister, Akilah, is my right hand dancer. I like to think we dance very well together."

Nevaeh listened and she perked up when he mentioned having a sister, "You have a sister?"

Not that Isaiah was bad or anything, but she would much rather has a girl as her twin. Sisterly bonding was always her excuse when Isaiah frowned at the revelation.

"Yeah," he smiled at thought of his family. "All my family—well, most of my family—are dancers and we all sort of have that in common. I'm the oldest, but Akilah's a year younger. She's one of my best friend, it's like you and Shailene in a way."

Nevaeh nodded, Shai and her were really close, and while she could get on her nerves they loved each other.

"After Akilah, there's Jaylen. He's kind of the rebel of the family. After him, there's Tia. She's a rising star, and despite being only fourteen she's played major roles," he boasted. His family were everything to him, and they were great so he did get bragging rights.

She smiled, she could tell how much love he held for his siblings.

"Lastly, there's the twins Brianna and Kimani. They're little adorable ballerinas. We bake together sometimes, and their smiles light up and it's just everything," he then switched back to the talk of the selection. "I guess the only downside to being in this selection is I don't get to see them."

"You have the queen in your company, don't complain. Besides, if you get to the Elite you get to see them too," she winked before getting up and he did the same. "We should go now."

He kissed her cheek, "Thank you for the 'date', Your Majesty."

To his surprise, Nevaeh let out a laugh, "Bye, Keir."


	7. Chapter 7

_"_ _You have the queen in your company, don't complain. Besides, if you get to the Elite you get to see them too," she winked before getting up and he did the same. "We should go now."_

 _He kissed her cheek, "Thank you for the 'date', Your Majesty."_

 _To his surprise, Nevaeh let out a laugh, "Bye, Keir."_

Nevaeh and Keir both left, the young queen making her way outside to get some fresh air. She brushed of imaginary dirt of her black dress and ran a hand through her brown hair before heading outside.

 _One date down,_ Nevaeh thought, _and Keir was really sweet, so it wasn't bad._

A chilly breeze hit Nevaeh's shoulders as started to get used to the weather. Even though Angeles was hot, it got a little colder at night. Her heels hit the soft grass, and she walked across the grass to get to the bench. Everywhere she looked, she was overwhelmed by the green and dark blues. Though she wouldn't complain, it was a nice contrast to the golds and whites inside the mansion. The outside seemed to calm her.

* * *

Isaiah frowned. His eyes flickered around the hallway, his brown orbs drifting from decoration to decoration. Why did he let those twins convince to ask Aurora on a date? What if he messes up?

He stood in a vacant hall, his dark suit the opposite to the gold and white scheme around the mansion. He missed wandering around the palace walls before the selection. Things would have been much easier if those damn Rebels didn't exist. How many lives would be made easier? Now wasn't a time to complain though, the prince had to make he did things right. He was the only prince of Illéa, and he act responsible. And his duties right now consisted of asking a fierce redhead on a date.

Sucking up all the courage he had, Isaiah knocked on the door a little too forcefully. The sound seemed to echo around his eardrums and he pulled back his hand as if he was electrocuted.

Opening the door, Aurora groaned, "Who wakes someone up at 3 AM?"

As if Aurora had shot him, Isaiah flinched. Though in his defence her death glare _was_ scary. Her amber eyes shone with fury and her red hair was pulled into a ponytail, the locks tangled together. She wore a white top and some shorts and you could clearly tell she had been sleeping before Isaiah interrupted her.

"Sorry, Lady Aurora," Isaiah mumbled, "I actually forgot what time it was. The twins convinced me to, uh..." his voice trailed off uncertainly, she probably hated him for waking her up.

"It's Rory," she corrected, her glare intensifying. "Is there something you need from me or what?"

"Wouldyoumaybesortofliketogoonadatewithme?" Isaiah rushed out, wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans.

"Yes, Your Highness, I caught all of that," Rory spoke, sarcasm dripping out of her tone.

Mustering up any last courage, he asked, "Would you like to go on a date with me? I know it's late, you don't have to change or anything, just throw on a coat or something." Catching her look, he continued, "I promise next time we go on a date, it won't be at incredulous hours of the night. I got convinced to ask you in a date and I'm really sorry that I disturbed you."

"So where are we going them?" Rory asked and Isaiah sighed in relief. Her confidence intimidated him a little, but he could grow used to it.

"Just a little walk in the gardens, if you don't mind." Isaiah mumbled uncertainly, but when Rory went in and grabbed a coast before returning, his smile brightened. He was _finally_ making progress in the selection.

With a coat wrapped around her and some shoes slipped on, Rory said, "Let's go then."

The two of them walked out to the garden, the fresh air hitting them, though it was slightly cold. Looking out past the intense green and blues of the garden, Isaiah spotted Nevaeh. It seemed as if Shai had gotten her to stop working for a moment and enjoy some time, which was good. That girl never stopped and took a breather.

Walking along the cobbled path, Isaiah tried to recall some of the 'advice' the twins had given them. While it was just to mess with him, Isaiah was pretty naive and fell for their tricks often.

' _Yeah, and don't forget to compliment her mermaid hair.'_

 _'Oh, and ask whether she feels she should ever dye her hair, wrong Disney princess and all.'_

 _'Make sure you tell her you loved her in Sleeping Beauty!'_

Isaiah debated whether or not to say them, he wasn't sure that Rory would appreciate it, but nevertheless, Isaiah decided to join them all together and try and make her talk. It wasn't that Rory was shy, but rather Isaiah was and made no move to strike up a conversation.

"I like your mermaid hair," Isaiah commented, moving his face to look at the fountain instead of Rory. If he was making the wrong decision by listening to the twins, he didn't want to know Rory's reaction, so he continued rambling instead. "I loved you in Sleeping Beauty! And do you, err... ever think that you have the wrong name? Red hair and all..." Isaiah's voice trailed off, coming to the conclusion that Rory wasn't going to appreciate it.

"What the hell are you going on about? I don't even like Disney that much. And-"

Sensing Rory was getting offended with his stupid comments, he cut her off and apologised, "I'm sorry! The twins said it would be good and while I was skeptical, I decided to say it anyway. Sorry!"

Rory seemed to accept Isaiah's answer, "It's okay, I'm sorry, too. Let's just finish our date then."

"Why don't we get something from the kitchen and then come back?" Isaiah suggested. While it wasn't exactly midnight, he still wanted some snacks, and he doubted that someone would turn down food. "Who doesn't love food?" Isaiah joked and he beamed when he got a small smile from Rory.

"Someone crazy," she responded. While at first she didn't seem to like Isaiah that much, he was growing on her.

On the way to the kitchens and whilst they were there, Isaiah and Rory talked some more. While Rory wasn't a big fan of Disney and being compared to one of the princesses, Isaiah learnt that she was a big music fan and she was actually really good with History. She knew about the civil war, deaths of major people that helped build the foundation of what was once known as Illéa, and, of course, other stuff such as the Great Depression, and the British Empire.

They had a lot of differences, but Isaiah found her interesting. She liked some stuff he didn't and didn't like some stuff that he did, but it balanced out. There were things they had in common though, such as hating dishonesty.

"Thank you, Rory," Isaiah thanked as he led her back to her room.

"No problem, Your Highness," she responded, going into the room."Yeah, and don't forget to compliment her mermaid hair."

"Oh, and ask whether she feels she should ever dye her hair, wrong Disney princess and all."

"Make sure you tell her you loved her in Sleeping Beauty!"

 _Phew_ , Isaiah thought, one date down. _I should go see if Nevaeh's still up. If she is, then she should go to bed, too._

Heading down to the gardens again, Isaiah pondered his date with Rory. Once you got to know her, she was actually pretty cool and he could see her staying for a while.

"Nevaeh!" Isaiah shouted once he reached her.

"Isaiah!" she shouted back, a mocking tone to her voice. "I'm here, 'Saiah, no need to shout."

"We should go now," he told her. "It's late, really late."

"You're right," she sighed, standing up. While it was niceness to just sit in the quiet, she should get to bed. Spotting something coming towards them, she nudged Isaiah.

"Imani!" A voice shouted, "You're freaking dogs are going to get us eliminated!"

Looking suspiciously, Nevaeh walked towards the the noise, bringing Isaiah along with her.

"I'm sorry!" Another voice shouted, and Nevaeh assumed this was 'Imani'. "Woah!" she yelled and her voice was followed by two splats.

Coming closer, Nevaeh recognise the first voice as Vegas, the male Selected who didn't bother paying much attention to her. Nevaeh rolled her eyes at the the thought, who could you find better than the queen?

Vegas growled a little at the dogs sitting a little further a way. "I'm going to– P-Prince Isaiah!" Vegas' eyes averted from the dogs to the approaching royals.

Imani stood up, her grey dress now stained with mud, "I am so sorry, Prince Isaiah and Princess Neveah! Please, Vegas was only trying to help me! If anyone needs to go-"

Isaiah interrupted her, "Relax, we all know how dogs can get. Especially when they get outside in a new and open space."

Neveah wasn't fazed by the situation anymore, realising that it wasn't two idiots getting caught doing treason, but rather simply two idiots chasing some dogs. "It's queen, not princess," she corrected nevertheless, taking a few steps back after realising all the mud on the grass.

One of the dogs let out a bark, and rushed forward knocking Vegas into an unexpected royal. Realising that he was basically hugging Isaiah like an idiot—further proving Nevaeh's theory—Vegas let go hurriedly as he let out a weak chuckle and the prince fell into the mud as a result.

" I'm sorry!" Vegas exclaims, looking away blushing and ignoring the mud drilling of his shirt, he ran off. " I have to w-wash my hair," he called back, stumbling a little.

Imani snickered a little, "Hair, sure."

The annoyed queen rolled her eyes at the mess Isaiah was in. "Come on, 'Saiah." She gave Isaiah a hand, pulling him up from the ground as he thanked her. "Go clean up, Isaiah." Muttering, she turned to Imani, "You, too."

Nevaeh and Isaiah cast a quick glance to Imani before heading off to their own rooms, Imani doing the same before leaving.

The Selection was definitely going to be something.

* * *

They were finally there. All their hard work has paid off and while they still had a long way to go, they were _finally_ getting somewhere. And it was about time, too. Lyra could recount every single encounter they had to getting caught, and Greyson could tell you how many times they decided to give up. But they didn't.

As Lyra stood next to the marble staircase, she let out a relieved sigh. Who knew after all this time all it would take was a simple call with Isaiah? And they were let in _so_ easily. Of course, his twin would be a lot harder to convince with her stubborn self never giving in, but they could do it. They were getting somewhere.

"Lyra!" Isaiah exclaimed, coming towards Lyra and Greyson. He was dressed simple with a white shirt rolled up along with some pants. "...And person I don't know."

"This is Grey," Lyra introduced before Isaiah pulled her into a hug. "It's a been long time. I'm really sorry about your parents."

Isaiah smiled at her, "Don't worry, it wasn't your fault. So where have you been?"

"You know, around..." Lyra mumbled, "Grey was with me. We've just been around Illéa, doing some travelling."

"This is Aria, she's helping us with the selection along with Soraya—you remember her right?—and she'll help you get settled in."

At the mention of Aria, Lyra noticed that there was a female standing a little further behind Isaiah. She looked like the complete opposite of Lyra. Aria wore a summery, off the shoulder dress despite fall quickly descending, which Lyra couldn't help but think was stupid. Though she was a little bitter with her only arriving in a simple blouse and jeans, which seemed to be pretty outdated. Another visible difference was their hair, while Aria's hair was mixed in with highlights, Lyra's dark hair sat as a mop on her head.

Quickly removing her gaze from Aria, she spotted Greyson lingering around the back near the orchids, clearly trying to avoid interaction with the royals which he dubbed 'stupid, stuck up and annoying' on the way to the palace. While she sent an annoyed glance to Greyson, she noticed that even he looked better than her, was she the only one looking terrible? There was some dirt smeared on her once white outfit as she tripped outside. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the guard trying to hold back laughter at her looking ridiculous.

"Lyra?" Isaiah questioned, suddenly a lot closer to her than she remembered. She blushed realising she just zoned out, she had been doing that way too much lately. Grey and Aria were no longer in the foyer and it was just her standing awkwardly.

"Come on," Isaiah called leaving the foyer, too. Casting a quick glance to his watch, "We're going to be late."

"For what?" she asked as she did a small jog to catch up to him.

"The Canadian royal family are coming soon. We need to set some last minute things up while Nevaeh and one of the Selected go and greet them," Isaiah informed her as he led her down the halls.

Lyra nodded absentmindedly as she let her gaze drift around the mansion. Wow, she thought, this place is amazing. "So, The Selection?" Lyra mumbled.

"It was actually Soraya's idea to do one, told us it would help."

"I see," she muttered before brightening up a little. "Who's your favourite?"

"I don't have one," he shrugged, opening the door for Lyra and he entered the room after her.

"Come on! You must have one." When Isaiah made no move to comment, she added, "Who have you been with last? Like date-wise and talking?"

"I went on a date with Rory yesterday—technically it was today though—and I talked to Phae last, why?"

Not satisfied with his answer, she huffed, "I wanted to see who you end up with. But I guess seeing the blush on your face by mentioning the girls will do for now."

A darker blush erupted on Isaiah's cheeks as he stuttered, gaining a laugh from Lyra.

* * *

 **A/N: Lyra and Greyson were mentioned briefly at the end of the second chapter if any of you have forgotten. Thanks to RubyLeo who helped me sort out my ideas and helping me with some things for the story. Also, review! I love to hear your thoughts.**


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